3 Ways to Get More Out of Your Business Partnerships Using Social Media

Author

Published

Share it

We're big fans of growing your business through new partnerships. If your business is ever feeling stagnant, looking to partnerships is a great way to get the ball rolling again and grow your business in ways you couldn't have done all on your own. As AllBusiness writer Ann Gatty puts it:

"Strategic partnerships can be beneficial for businesses with limited resources. When two companies that complement one another don't have the funds to expand the way they would like, or to reach the markets they wish to, they can form a strategic alliance to help accomplish their goals."

Here's how to get the most out of your partnerships with the use of social media:

1. Feature each other's guest posts

A great way to dive into a partnership is to propose a cross-blogging relationship. It's as easy as swapping guest blog posts once a month - you write an article for them, they write an article for you, and the both of you get to expose your brands to a new audience that might not have normally read your article were you not partners. As their articles go live on your blog, be sure to post them on your social sites saying something like, "Check out this article on ______ written by our friends at _____" making sure to tag them in the post. If you've built up a reputable social presence, a place where your readers can come to learn about the field you're in in an informative and interesting way, they'll take your recommendation seriously and read your partner's article. Ideally, your partner will do the same for you.

2. Let your audience know about their contests

Everybody likes the chance to win something. If your partner is hosting a contest that most of your customers could easily participate in, let your audience know about it. Even if your partner doesn't straight out ask you to promote the contest, they'll absolutely appreciate the gesture. The whole point of hosting a contest is to spread awareness of your brand in some way - whether you're trying to highlight a new product, or you're just trying to get more likes on Facebook. Imagine if all your business partners helped to spread the word about your contests - that'd help a ton, right? It's little things like this that make you stand out as an excellent partner to do business with.

3. Feature their deals (but not too often)

The best social environment you can provide for your customers is somewhere they can go to keep informed and entertained with the 'ins' and 'outs' of your industry. No reader wants to be fed spam all day every day - it's a good way to lose a lot of followers really quickly. You can't solely post about your company's deals just as you can't post about your partner's deals on a regular basis. However, just as with the contests, if they're having a big promotion, by all means, share it with your customers - but if, and only if, it's a product or service your customers would be interested in. Though, being that you're partners, you'd hope that your products and services overlap. Again, if you're helping them out when they have big promotions, they should be happy to help you out as well.